Art and School Functioning in the Early Grades

Creativeness of children in early school education as well as the means for its stimulation are important issues both for practitioners and theoreticians of early schooling. It can be observed in everyday conversations between teachers of young children, in curriculum requirements and syllabi for the integrated education as well as some academic and quasi-academic works. The reasons for that are, firstly, the growing awareness of the importance of this sphere of children’s development, and secondly, the fact that early school years are particularly important for the child. Ability to think creatively and solve problems determines success in a variety of situations. For this reason is considered to be a desirable feature, worth developing. The article concerns the relationship between creativity and functioning of children in early childhood education; especially between creative attitude and the educational achievement, as well as social relationship. It contains also an analysis of the cognitive components of the creative process and individual determinants of educational attainment and social development of the child. The author also presented the opportunity to develop creative attitudes of pupils in educational practice in classes 1 – 3. Arts, literary and mathematical education is treated here as a special additional tool to support and intensify this process.